Eli

I’ve Been Air-BnB-ed

Fiascos, Travel

Very amusing story actually.

We reserved an Airbnb for a week in May, based on it being listed as “secluded” and a “cabin in the woods.” Today I read the detailed stuff they eventually later send.

We’d wanted something without other people and noise around, both for peace and quiet and the sanity of the two dogs.

Turns out this “cabin in the woods” has another unit over top it, and another on the other side of a wall. Eli only barks if there’s something to bark about, but if there’s a group upstairs enjoying a football game or an excited gathering on the other side of a wall, he’s going to bark.

I messaged the host to ask what he thought about the situation. He said the other spaces weren’t booked, but they might be, so barking and noise could be a problem. He also told me the reason they’ll probably be booked is because they’re hosting an artists retreat that week. Oh, and you’re not allowed to use the fireplace. (Weird, as it’s featured in the photos.) As you can see, this had rapidly turned into exactly the situation I did not want.

So, I said I’m very sorry for the trouble, I canceled, and I got a full refund. I immediately booked a charming cottage-cabin on the other side of the Hudson, on forested land in the Catskills with no one else around, a big claw foot tub, a fireplace, and a private gazebo with a grill. Perfect!

Then the original host’s wife then messages me, and asks if she could transfer us to one of their more secluded cabins up in the woods without neighbors, and if we liked, we could walk down to the artists retreat anytime we liked.

Welp. It was a little too late for that. I can almost hear her saying to her husband, “You just turned away a week’s booking in the bigger space and let a composer and a writer go during a week when we’re having an artist’s retreat.” I’m going to assume she’s the brains when it comes to the business.

Still. I love the new place we found in the Catskills. And it’s owned by theatre folk. Photos below!

O

I’ll take the first two, but you can keep the ugly one.

Fiascos, Health, Mobility, Personal

I am at eight weeks post-surgery, and I’m now permitted to do a little bit more.

1. I played my first church service last Sunday (and had a great time catching up with friends), and 2. I taught an hour’s worth of piano lessons yesterday. A nice, slow start.

3. I got very lucky this morning.

I’m groggy in the mornings, even without major painkillers. So, I’m very careful. I wear slippers with some tread into the bathroom, I make sure I always have a hand on a pole or a niche while I’m in the shower. I step in and out very carefully, holding on. But today?

Today, a blowing fan got me.

Fall is close, and temperatures have been dropping into the 50s at night. It’s been cold in the morning. I got out of the shower today and realized the blowing fan was pointed directly at me. Freezing, I took a few steps away — off the rug, and onto the hex tile some of you probably remember I layed a few years ago.

O

Of course, I ended up on the tile floor. I was flat on my back, which happens to house my recently-operated-on tailbone. I don’t know how I managed to land completely flat, but whatever Deity arranged it, thank you. If I had landed on my butt, this would have been a very, very different story. I’m fine, albeit a few steps backwards in the pain department.

I’m sure you expect our loving dogs ran in to see what the commotion was all about. Eli barks if he hears a footstep; nevermind 180 lbs. of adult human hitting the floor. Nope. Not a creature was stirring. Thanks, dogs.

Higgins and Eli

O

Historically, when I’ve slipped and landed flat on my back (winter ice, usually), I’ve started to laugh. I mean really laugh. For some reason, I’ve always done it. I laughed today, staring up at the exhaust fan. Which is filthy.

However, I now have a strong health reason to order a re-do of the bathroom with vinyl plank. (Wink.) See how that works?

London, The Shire, Jaipur

Arts and Crafts, Home and Renovation, Shopping

“When putting on accessories, take off the last thing you’ve put on.”

—Coco Chanel

Eh. Coco lied. Pile it on.

There’s an iron bedstead and a mattress in my living room. There’s four boxes of vinyl tile in my kitchen. There’s two boxes of accessories and knickknacks sitting uncomfortably next to the front door. The grandfather clock has been moved because the circuit breaker panel was behind it. There’s a large braided rug rolled up and leaning against my piano. There are cardboard boxes … everywhere.

Our contractor is now hammering and painting and sawing and wiring this weekend.

O

One of my favorite things I’ve found shopping is my crazy curtains. They’re made by a shop owned by ladies in India. They make them from surplus and seconded sari material.

Part of the fun has been taking a month or so to choose very particular items, discover clever new things. (I know a bit about rough gemstones now — I bought a 1500 carat Lapis Lazuli Buddha sculpture. LOL) It’s fun to hunt up better prices, take the time to look for exactly what I want.

O

I found a good price on a quilt! The pattern works with the room too!. Handmade, queen size, and very well sewn. This one’s from eBay.

Needless to say, I have a lot of work to do before Sunday, a little more prep — pulling nails and screws and filling in the holes, going to buy the paint, getting all the materials together for the guys. In the time in between, I have fun unpacking things and and telling Eli how much I like them any why.

Eli

O

O

Let’s be honest. It’s a tapestry on a fluffy pillow with a unicorn, a lion, bunny-cat-dogs, and a lady playing a tiny pipe organ. This was going to get bought no matter what. The young lady helping her is pumping the bellows. =)

One thing that’s kept coming to mind during this process — there are too many retail things! I absolutely do not need twelve pages of crown molding to choose from. Or forty pages of curtain rods.

You gotta have a little grandma-style in the mix!

Have a great weekend!

In the Studio

Musician, Personal

One of my older students asked me yesterday what my studio looked like. I’m sure he was imagining the puffy egg cartons on the walls, a rolling desk chair, a gigantic mixing board, and a plate glass window.

We had been talking about recording, and he was interested in what I am doing right now, so we’d had to listen to the track I’m working on (“Saint Clement’s, Forestbury“).

At one point, I guess it must’ve been about 15 years ago, my studio did indeed take up a small room of its own — a full-size digital piano, a smaller controller keyboard, digital sound modules in a rack, a mini disc deck (and before that, a DAT deck), a big lunky computer, etc. I still use versions of all those things and more; but as we know, electronics have gotten much smaller and much more powerful. I use an iPad Pro, an Akai MK3 mini, and a Sennheiser condenser mic.

A picture sounds 1000 notes, so here is a photo of my studio and workstation these days; including my recording engineer, Eli.

No vocals today, so we didn’t have the mic set up.